Abrogating Article 370 without consulting Kashmiris would alienate people: Amnesty

By A Representative
Terming it a "unilateral decision", top international NGO Amnesty has said that the Government of India decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) "without consulting J&K stakeholders and amidst a complete clampdown on civil liberties and communications blackout is likely to inflame prevailing tensions."
Insisting that it would "alienate the people in the state and increase the risk of further human rights violations", Aakar Patel, head, Amnesty International India, said, “What J&K has been witnessing over the last few days – the additional deployment of thousands of security forces, a blanket blockade of telephone and internet services, restrictions on peaceful assembly – has already pushed the people of J&K to the edge."
Amnesty said, The revocation of Article 370 is expected to cause unrest and wide scale protests in the state", adding, this is clear from "the government’s response to dealing with protests in the state has been heavy-handed and have led to gross human rights violations such as blinding, killing and traumatizing people over the past few years."
Poimnting out that "while the authorities have the right to maintain public order, they must respect the right of the people to protest peacefully", Amnesty said, "Blanket and indefinite suspensions of telecommunications services in J&K are also not in line with international human rights standards. These shutdowns affect the ability of people in Kashmir to seek, receive, and impart information, an integral part of the right to freedom of expression."

Can free‑living Indian street dogs teach us about how to care for pet dogs?

By Daniel Ramp, Kapil Vishwas Patwardhan, Rosalie Chapple We give our pet dogs shelter, veterinary care, affection, training and play. We decide when they eat, where they sleep, when they go outside, who they meet, and how they move through the world.

Rights groups condemn arrests and security buildup amid Siang mega-dam protests in Arunachal

By A Representative A coalition of several civil rights, labour, student and social justice groups, Campaign Against State Repression (CASR), has condemned the arrest of three anti-dam activists in Arunachal Pradesh following recent violence in Pasighat, demanding their immediate release and the withdrawal of security forces from protest areas opposing the proposed 11,200-MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP).

A path of self-reliance in place of migration: Saplings, nutrition gardens and perseverance

By Vikas Meshram* In the tribal belt stretching from Banswara to Dahod, the day often begins with a glance at the sky. The fields are small, the land uneven and sloping, and irrigation mostly means whatever the rain chooses to give. Yet in the villages of this region, a different story has been unfolding over the past few years. Sitting in meetings of Vaagdhara’s Gram Swaraj groups, farmers have begun to treat water, forest, land, livestock and seed as their real capital.

Counterview

Search This Blog